Customer extinguishes car fire at gas station

By
KBell
March 25, 2011 at 12:03 p.m.Updated March 24, 2011 at 10:25 p.m.

A Buick Park Avenue caught fire at Speedy Stop at the intersection of Main Street and Airline Road about 11:45 a.m. Friday. A customer grabbed a fire extinguisher from inside the store and put out the flames before the fire department arrived.

A customer extinguished the flames on a car that caught fire at the Speedy Stop at the intersection of Main Street and Airline Road about 11:45 a.m. Friday.

Dawn Foley, 30, said she attempted to start her Buick Park Avenue parked near the store entrance, when she noticed smoke coming from the hood.

Foley said she popped open the hood as smoke began to vent into of the vehicle.

She got her 3-year-old son and 13-year-old niece out of the car while Brian Mack, 38, of Victoria, grabbed a fire extinguisher from inside the gas station.

Mack said he's a regular customer at the store and didn't think twice about opening the hot hood to extinguish the flames. Foley is also his friend, Mack said.

"I just wanted everybody to be OK," he said, adding that he didn't want the flames to spread to the building or gas pumps.

Acting Lt. Dennis Jacob, with the Victoria Fire Department, said the flames were extinguished by the time the fire department arrived. A mechanical malfunction is likely to blame for the fire, Jacob said.

Foley said she's never had any problems with the vehicle that had undergone an oil change about a month ago.

Foley was arranging to get the vehicle towed and shrugged her shoulders.